Google Street View Banned: 3D Maps and Czech Privacy

Since Google Street View was launched it has certainly had a mixed reaction, some love the idea of going right down to street level to see where they live or for reference, while others believe that it is an invasion of their privacy. Things have been quiet for a while, but we have now learned that the Czech Republic have banned Google’s 3D Maps service.

Officials in Prague have been looking into the case over data protection issues for six months now as Google was told that they were not allowed to collect photos of the Czech Republic, but the photos have remained on the website.

This is not the first time that Google has come under fire for data protection; Germany is another country that is not happy with the search engine giant. According to Josh Halliday from the Guardian, Google has defended themselves by saying that photos of individuals who have been photographed by their cars with cameras on them have been blurred-out.

It seems that the UK does not share either Germany’s or the Czech Republic’s views, saying, “The Google Street View service does not encroach on the privacy of citizens.”